Kamen Rider Downpour
by l-Anarchy-l
Summary: Rain from the Heavens and Corruption from the Earth. This is the war fought around us. And now, after two hundred years, once more a Kamen Rider has entered the war.


It was raining when they drowned the first one. The ten maidens standing in a row on the edge of the lake, lined with lanterns. In front of each one was a tall, vertical almost box. _Just_ big enough to fit all of them. Standing waist deep in the water was an old woman. _"Susanoo! We give you life, to shield us from the Black Lake, that corruption and spreading disease!_ She cried.

Nurabe shivered as she looked at what was to be her coffin, to drown alive...She was shaking, terrified. She had been raised, knowing that giving her life to Susanoo would allow the world to exist, but now that the time had come for that ritual? She wasn't so sure. To spend her last moments locked away in the box, slowly drowning in holy water as she sank to the bottom like so many of her sisters had?

Opposite the line, the first maiden entered the box, closing the door which was locked with chains. Several men began to pull it towards the center of the lake, stopping and letting it float until silently and suddenly, it sank beneath the placid waters of the lake-another shiver going up Nurabe's spine.

Then went Suda, Junko, Kizami, Isay, Kei...All lost beneath the waves, part of her wondered if they felt the same choking horror that was filling her when they died.

And then, just like that, it was her turn. She slowly walked to the box, ducking into it's cramped confines, several men surrounded her, about the close the door.

There was a man coming down the path, just walking into the light. "Excuse me?" He said aloud as they all turned to face him. The Newcomer was a mangy looking man, with long matted black hair going to his waist. He wore Geta and the tattered remains of a samurai's Hakama. In His hand, he held a long Naginata, it's blade glinting softly in the candle light. The men all paused-This interruption to the ritual could not be ignored lest it offend the Gods. It had to be dealt with before this could continue.

The dozen priests around Nurabe knelt, save for one warrior. Ganbei, the Kamen Raida, host of the God of storms. He strode forward, His Sea-green samurai armor glinting as he held his katana in one hand. "What is your name, Wanderer-San?"

The two warriors stood. Kamen Rider and ragged wanderer. The latter bowed his head. "Tazikawa Xiba, former retainer to Lord Higetsuya."

Ganbei bowed. "I am Toshiro Ganbei, Host of Susanoo and Kamen Kamen. Forgive me, but I would like to know why you are here, we are carrying out a sacred practice." Xiba looked at him, he didn't understand that title of 'Kamen Raida', nor did it particularly matter to him.

"I seek refuge, you are the first non-bandits I have seen in the past few miles. Forgive my interruption, Ganbei-San."

Ganbei raised a gauntletted fist, pointing to the west. "A Mile that way is our temple, go there and wait, I shall be there before Midnight."

"Thank you for your hospitality, I am honored."

The two warriors bowed once again, Turning and walking back, Xiba to the roads and Ganbei to the crowd. Nurabe quietly watched the man walk away before, in a fit of madness shrieked.

" _Help me! They're going to kill me!"_ The entire congregation froze, even as the man struggled to force her into the box.

The Ronin stopped walking. He quietly kicked off his geta and stood, barefoot. The members of the Shrine turned, staring at him, closest to him was Ganbei, coldly staring at him, ten paces between the two of them and in the utter silence, they both stood.

"You lost your sandals." Ganbei broke the silence first. The Ronin shook his head, his wild hair swinging.

"I removed them." He said simply,

Ganbei's hand was seizing his hilt, his katana came singing from it. Xiba whirled around, his naginata a slash of steel and wood, inciting a new hushed shock in the many celebrants.

The Kamen Raida, the living embodiment of Susanoo's will, was being challenged.

The silence broken again to the clang of steel on steel. The Kamen Rider's blade raised, blocking the Naginata's long, scything end. Both of the fighters stilled once more. Not fighting strength against strength, but rather planning their next attack.

Ganbei was first, shoving the ronin back with prodigious strength and lunging forward with his next attack, the tip of his blade cutting into the shore as it arced upwards toward's Xiba's unprotected stomach.

It stopped in mid blow as the length of wood slammed into the side of Ganbei's head, Xiba circling around and whirling his polearm like a baton, before bringing the blade down.

The frozen shock of the onlookers gave way to an exhausting fear as many of them fell to their knees as the Kamen Raida fell, defeated.

Nurabe slowly staggered drunkenly out of the box. She was free-The men were to shocked to even say anything, just staring at the body of Ganbei. She slowly picked up speed, running towards Xiba. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Until, at last the high priestess, the old woman standing waist deep in the water cried out. " _He serves the Black Lake! Go! Attack him!"_

No one listened, they had the advantage in numbers...But, what good was numbers when a god had fallen? This man could easily kill them all, and so they watched on as their last maiden to defend against the black lake walked off.

Xiba looked at the maiden, she was short, slender and wore only a white robe. "I suppose I am owed an explanation." He said. She had taken the lead, walking with purpose.

"I am Nurabe." She said at last, "And you saved my life."

"What were they going to do to you?"

"Drown me, they have drowned countless women in that evil lake."

"Why?"

"To stop the spreaing of the Burakkureiku."

"The Black Lake? What's that?"

"It's supposedly the birthplace of Night. And fifteen years, ten girls die to keep it at bay. I need to go to it."

"It sounds a bit sinister."

"Is it bad enough to warrant the ending of ten innocent lives? For a reason we are never explained?"

"I suppose." Conceded the Ronin, his Naginata slung across his shoulders as he walked. They had been walking for the majority of the night, and only now did they speak. "What exaclty is a Kamen Raida?"

"A great warrior, trained from birth to host Susanoo, god of storms." Xiba glanced back at the road, and a mile away from them, one dead warrior trained from birth to host a God of Storms.

"Does that have to deal with the Burakkureiku?"

"Rain from the heavens, corruption from the earth." Xiba nodded, it made about as much sense as anything else. Suddenly, the priestess stopped, turning and breaking into a sprint into the woods to their left. _What now?_ Xiba bolted after her.

"Wait-where are you-" Xiba suddenly found out why. They stood at the edge of darkness. He could hear the waves lapping at the shore, but there was no reflection of light-just solid black. "The Black Lake..." He said dumbly.

Nurabe nodded, ignoring the horrifying rush of awe, Suddenly, she became to remove her white gown, letting it fall at her feet. "Wait for me." She said quietly, before walking into the blackness, flincing as the ice cold water hit her naked body.

Xiba was at a loss for words, he had saved a girl from drowning, and here she was, naked and drowning herself in something that just _wasn't_ right. His knuckles tightening on his longarm as her head disappeared into the inky darkness.

The water began to bubble as the area got darker, it went from dim moonlight to pitch black, not even the moon shown, The Ronin whipped around-was this a trap? What was this?

There was a geyser of the black liquid, arcing into the sky as something began to rise out of it, Xiba was only barely able to see them drifitng across the now placid waters towards him, his eyes not adjusting instead, the light was returning.

It was Nurabe, the priestess gliding across the waters. Yet, her skin had gotten somewhat paler and something was just _off_ about her, the feeling that no matter how human she looked, she wasn't. She slowly walked up to him. "Ronin." That was why; her eyes were black pits-just like the lake.

"What are you-Oni? Yokai?"

" _Now? I am the embodiment of the Black Lake. And I am here to give you an offer."_

"Weren't you just saying the Black Lake is bad?"

" _Is it good to have to sacrifice ten innocent women? It is good in a world that allows your master to be slaughtered?"_ She _did_ have a point. Xiba wasn't sure how she knew that his Sensei had been murdered, but that only bothered him marginally compared to what he was speaking to.

"What's your offer?"

" _Now, you sell your sword arm, or perhaps, if you get desperate-your body."_ Her voice was like a burbling river. " _If you however, lend your power to us, you shall become a god, capable of slaughtering through millions. Life is such a fleeting thing, but if you join us?"_

"Eternal Life..." Xiba mused,

" _Exactly, can I ask you a question?"_

"Yes?"

" _How many years does it take to master your craft? To recover wounded honor? To lose the sense of loss?"_

Xiba looked at the thing wearing Nurabe. It curled her lips into an innocent smile. _"Would you like to find out?"_


End file.
